Best Buddies A look at Symbiotic Relationships in an ecosystem.

Symbiotic-Relationships Every plant & critter needs energy to survive & thrive. Because of this, many inter-species relationships have been forged for the survival and purpose of accumulating this energy.

Symbiosis/ Symbiotic Relationships The living together of two different organisms and how they get their food. Think in terms of benefit, harmed or killed. These can be categorized into 3 categories Mutualism – both benefit Commensalism – one benefits, the other is unaffected Parasitism – one benefits, the other is harmed Other ecological relationships include: Producer/ Consumer – Plant is harmed, animal benefits Competition – limited resources, both are disadvantaged Predator / Prey – Predator benefits, the prey meets it’s demise

Producer / Consumer Producer produces food Consumer eats the food

Competition Both species both compete and fight for the same space and food. Two types of predators competing for food Two Bugs competing for nectar in a flower

Predator / Prey One species benefits, the other DIES!

Parasitism One species benefits, the other is harmed but NOT killed. A parasitic wasp that laid her eggs on or in the spiny caterpillar's body. The parasitic wasp larvae ate most of their host, avoiding the vital organs, so that the caterpillar stayed alive. Mistletoe grows on established trees, taking nutrients and water from the tree. Not enough to kill it, but to limit its growth.

Commensalism One species is benefited, the other neither benefits nor is harmed The barnacle benefits by finding a habitat where nutrients are available. The presence of barnacle populations does not appear to hamper or enhance the survival of the animals carrying them. A common Cattle Egret rides on an African Buffalo – the bird gets free transportation and eats the bug the buffalo rustles up – the buffalo is unaffected by the bird. Humpback whale

Mutualism Both Species Mutually Benefit from each other The fungus gets food from the photosynthesizing algae and the algae gets a place to live. The caterpillars have nectar organs which the ants drink from. The ants provide protection for the caterpillar.

Ecosystem Relationships type of interaction sign effects Mutualism +/+ both species benefit from interaction Commensalism +/0 one species benefits, one unaffected Competition  -/- each species affected negatively Predator/Prey, Parasitism, Producer/Consumer +/- one species benefits, one is disadvantaged

1 Mushroom Forest Forests take in sunlight and produce food. Meanwhile the mushroom helps to break down dead stuff and recycle the material back into the forest ecosystem.

2 Elephant Grassland The savannahs of Africa are home to many elephants and other critters. They provide food, shelter and water that the elephants need to live and survive.

3 Hunter Elk During the months of October, many hunters help reduce the number of elk in the forest by hunting them and using their meat for food.

4 Grasshopper Leaves Grasshoppers have been known to devour whole crops. They eat most any vegetation.

5 Aphid Ant Aphids get their energy and nutrients from sucking on the sugar in the sap found in plants. But they don’t need all of the sugar they get from the sap and pass it on as honeydew. Ants collect the honeydew by tapping on their antenna and offer protection from predators.

(Eats insects stirred up by herds) 6 Cowbird (Eats insects stirred up by herds) Buffalo Buffalo used to travel in herds across the plains, as they walked through the grass the insects would fly out of the grass and the cowbirds would eat them. The cowbirds would follow the buffalo, which helped them catch insects. This neither helped or hurt the buffalo.

7 Honey Guide Honey Badger (Eats Bee Larve) (Loves to eat honey) Honey guide birds exhibit a unique pattern by calling out loudly and chattering that attracts the badger's attention. Then flies ahead, toward the bees' nest, making sure the badger is following. On arrival, the badger tears open the bees' nest and feast on the bees' wax, honey, and larvae --making sure some are left over for its loyal referral--the honey guide bird.  

Has a home – gets rid of it when he’s out grown it. 8 Snail Has a home – gets rid of it when he’s out grown it. Hermit Crab Needs a Home A hermit crab lives in shells that are made and then abandoned by snails. This neither harms nor benefits the snail.

9 Tick Deer A tick feeds on deer blood to the detriment of the deer.

10 Warbler Cuckoo A cuckoo may lay its eggs in a warbler’s nest. The cuckoo’s young will displace the warbler’s young and will be raised by the warbler.

11 Gazelle Ostrich These two animals feed next to each other in the grasslands. Both watch for predators and alert each other to danger. The visual abilities of these two animals are different so they are able to identify threats the other animal would not see.

12 Shark Remora A remora attaches themselves to a shark’s body. They travel with the shark and feed on the left over food from the shark’s meals. They also eat parasites on the shark’s skin, keeping him clean and healthy. This does not hurt the shark.

Charades Pick a relationship card. You will act out the relationship on the card without saying a word. Your goal is to get the class to guess the animals involved and then what type of relationship they have. NO VIOLENCE ALLOWED!